A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

Finally, though our minds and hearts do sometimes break through the watch at unawares, yet at least let us not so negligently keep it, as to ⟨p. 300⟩be overtaken in our actions with any gross sin, as either by spending our time in idleness without any employment, because there is none to take notice of our sloth, or by committing any sin which we would be loth to do if we were in company, and had the eyes of men to look upon us. And to this end let us consider, that in the greatest solitude we have God present to bear us company, who beholdeth our most secret actions, not as an idle spectator, but as a righteous Judge, who will call all our works to account, to reward them if they be good, ¹or to punish them if they be evil; and what extreme folly and madness is it, to make no scruple of committing those sins in the presence of our Judge, which with all care we hide from our fellows, who, it may be, are guilty of the same or like crimes? Let us also consider, that we carry our own consciences ever about us, which are such witnesses as will not be bribed and corrupted, but will one day give in true evidence before Gods Tribunal, either to acquit or condemn us; besides all those present accusations wherewith they are always ready to upbraid us after our ill doing, and those horrors and terrors wherewith they affright us, after we have wounded them with known, wilful, and heinous sins; if at least by impudency in sinning and customable wickedness, they be not for the time seared and senseless. Let us remember, that there is nothing hid which shall not be made manifest, and that all our works and actions which are done in the most secret corners, shall, as our Saviour speaketh,